Removable ammunition magazines for air guns

Abstract

Removable ammunition magazines for air guns, combinations of such a magazine with an air gun, and methods of use. The removable ammunition magazine includes a pellet feeder and a canister chamber. A puncture needle is disposed at the top end of the canister chamber, and a canister seat is disposed at a bottom end of the canister chamber. A lever with a cam is pivotably secured to a bottom end of the body, and a cam follower engages the cam and operatively coupled to the canister seat. The lever rotates between an open position, in which the canister seat is shifted away from a puncture needle, and a closed position, in which the canister seat is shifted toward the puncture needle. The lever is recessed within a recess in a bottom surface of the body in each of the first and second positions. The cam may have two detents to help hold the lever in the open and closed positions.

1 . A removable ammunition magazine for carrying and dispensing projectiles and compressed for an air gun, the magazine comprising:
 a body configured to be slidingly received into a magazine receiver of an air gun;   a pellet chamber inside the body and a pellet feeder disposed in the pellet chamber;   a canister chamber disposed inside the body, the canister chamber having a first axis extending from a top end of the canister chamber to a bottom end of the canister chamber;   a puncture needle disposed at the top end of the canister chamber;   a canister seat disposed at the bottom end of the canister chamber, the canister seat shiftable along the first axis between a first position displaced away from the puncture needle and a second position displaced toward the puncture needle;   a lever with a cam pivotably secured to a bottom end of the body, the lever rotatable between an open position and a closed position; and   a cam follower engaging the cam and operatively coupled to the canister seat, wherein in the open position, the cam follower shifts the canister seat to the first position, and wherein in the closed position, the cam follower shifts the canister seat to the second position;   wherein in each of the first position and the second position, the lever is disposed recessed within in a recess in a bottom surface of the body.   
     
     
         2 . The removable ammunition magazine of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the lever rotates 180° about a second axis perpendicular to the first axis from the open position to the closed position.   
     
     
         3 . The removable ammunition magazine of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a first detent on the cam that engages the cam follower when the lever is in the first position; and   a second detent on the cam that engages the cam follower when the lever is in the second position;   wherein the engagement of the cam follower with first detent holds the lever in the first position; and   wherein the engagement of the cam follower with the second detent holds the lever in the second position.   
     
     
         4 . The removable ammunition magazine of  claim 1 , wherein the cam is disposed at a first end of the lever and a finger pad is disposed at a second end of the lever. 
     
     
         5 . The removable ammunition magazine of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a coupler opening disposed at a top end of the magazine;   a gas flow chamber coupling the coupler opening with the puncture needle; and   a gas shut-off valve disposed in the gas flow chamber between the coupler opening and the puncture needle, the gas shut-off valve configured to normally close the gas flow chamber.   
     
     
         6 . The removable ammunition magazine of  claim 1 , wherein the gas shut-off valve comprises a valve plug and a spring that urges the valve plug against a valve seat at the couple opening. 
     
     
         7 . The removable ammunition magazine of  claim 1 , further comprising a compressed gas canister disposed inside the canister chamber, the compressed gas canister comprising a bottom end and a top end defining a canister opening, the bottom end of the compressed gas canister seated on the canister seat;
 wherein with the lever in the open position, the top end is spaced apart from the puncture needle; and   wherein rotating the lever to the close position drives the top end of the canister against the puncture needle such that the puncture needle punctures the canister opening.   
     
     
         8 . The removable ammunition magazine of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one projectile disposed inside the pellet chamber and engaged by the pellet feeder. 
     
     
         9 . A method of using a removable ammunition magazine according to  claim 1 , the method comprising:
 with the lever in the open position, inserting a compressed gas canister into the canister chamber through an opening a sidewall of the body such that a bottom end of the compressed gas canister is seated on the canister seat and a top end of the canister defining a canister opening is spaced apart from the puncture needle; and   rotating the lever to the closed position to puncture the canister opening with the puncture needle and sealingly seat the top end of the canister in a receiver socket surrounding the puncture needle.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising inserting at least one projectile into the pellet chamber. 
     
     
         11 . A combination of an air gun and the removable ammunition magazine of  claim 1 , wherein the air gun comprises a magazine receiver that slidably receives the removable ammunition magazine into an operative position that supplies projectiles and compressed gas to the air gun from the magazine for use in loading and firing the air gun. 
     
     
         12 . The combination of  claim 11 , wherein the air gun includes a male coupler that fluidly couples to the coupler opening of the removable ammunition magazine and opens the gas shut-off valve when the magazine is in the operative position. 
     
     
         13 . The combination of  claim 12 , wherein the male coupler pushes a valve plug away from a valve seat to open the gas shut-off valve.